Jump to content

The final summer of a fantastic foursome


King

Recommended Posts

Aakash Chopra?s illuminating insight on Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman More... he final summer of a fantastic foursome Rohit Brijnath Aakash Chopra’s illuminating insight on Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman — PHOTOS: AP / AFP / K. BHAGYA PRAKASH 2007071862522101.jpg FABULOUS FOUR: These four men — Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman — begin what could be their last season together when they take on England in the first Test . In the silver-haired winters of their life, will they ever call each other, on wistful days, to remember how they fashioned history? Will they accidentally meet at airports, and stop for a comfortable instant, not firm friends perhaps but having seen closest each one’s finest triumph and cruellest humiliation. Athletes, of course, are rarely sentimentalists, they engineer great deeds, they do not dwell on them. That is left to us, the watcher. Still, as these four men, a brilliant batting posse, one name following the other almost like words in a national prayer, begin what could be their last season together, after 30,729 runs between them and 84 centuries, we are permitted a little nostalgia. What drove Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman warrants a book. In 750 words, we can only briefly wander through their lives, a journey more illuminating when taken with a player who first revered them, then played with them. Articulate Opener Aakash Chopra is articulate and steady, and inevitably says "I identified most with Rahul because he was technically correct". He is respectful of Dravid, yet realistic, adding: "What Sachin can do, I’m not good enough to do. Even Laxman, what he can do, only he can do." Dravid for him is "very approachable, if you ask he’ll give you an honest observation". In Australia, 2003, the captain admitted to Chopra that he was once primarily a leg-side player, but that he practised diligently, and had to improve because people were testing him on his off stump. Chopra was taken by Dravid’s honesty, and says "who would admit such a thing", for great players do not readily acknowledge any frailty. Tendulkar he was simply nervous of approaching, till he learnt he had no need to be. In 2003, with the Kiwis touring, coach John Wright sends the batsmen into a huddle. And Tendulkar starts asking Chopra, who has played the warm-up matches, about Vettori’s form, about other bowlers. Chopra is stunned. He thinks, this man, who has mastered these bowlers, is asking ‘my’ opinion. He figures this shows Tendulkar is always prepared; he also figures a legendary player is making a young man feel like he belongs. Entertaining Chopra’s encounter with the artist in Laxman is entertaining. Yuvraj and Dhoni, when they’re scoring at 6-7 runs an over, they ‘look’ aggressive, he explains. But "with Laxman you don’t get that feeling but he’s still scoring 7-8 an over, he just hits two sweet boundaries. And you don’t even feel bad because they’re not brutal, but hit with finesse". He celebrates Laxman’s "grit", pointing out that the Hyderabadi has played so long "with his place under the scanner", and Chopra, himself fighting for a team place, knows what it must take for Laxman to paint beautifully under constant pressure. Gritty player Chopra uses “grit” for Sourav’s comeback, too. "I’ve been through such patches myself and know how hard it is to pull yourself out”. He describes Dada as "in elegance and frequency the best six-hitter I have seen", noticed that when Ganguly scored one-day centuries India often won, and admires the former captain’s "eye for talent". He respects many things in these men. Laxman’s ability, which not all recognise, to play shots while minimising the risk, as he did while saving a Test (alongside Chopra) against New Zealand in Mohali. Sourav’s quality as captain that allowed him to go up or down to everyone’s level and speak to them in a language they understood. Tendulkar’s balance is stuck in his memory, or as he explains, "for a short guy the kind of shots he plays, getting on top of the ball, you have to be balanced, and his body is beautifully positioned." Professionalism Equally imprinted in the mind is Dravid’s professionalism, "first into the nets and last out", a captain whose calm exterior disguises an occasional anger. "He means business, he gives 120 per cent and he expects the same". These men are older, slower, less certain. But their quality (and indeed the average-ness of the generation that followed them) is easy to measure: more than 10 years after they first played together, still we are calling their four names in expectation. No doubt we must discard nostalgia with the first ball on Thursday. No doubt that whatever their previous contributions, they must be judged afresh on runs scored, for only the retired athlete has nothing to prove. But no doubt many of us, who have measured much of our lives through their innings, will also wish for one last sweet summer.

Link to comment

Good read. Tendulkar has always been accommodating. From what I've heard he goes out of way to make the young ones feel fairly comfortable. It can be off setting when you are a new lad even in club cricket let alone international. The team that makes the youngsters feels comfortable and chip in with their ideas do the best. A team sport can only be truly team sport when there is involvement of eleven players on and off the field tactics.

Link to comment

Oh goody! Another topic on Sach. I would comment further, maybe with something like: How can anyone refer to VVS as 'fantastic' when he has a Test batting average of under 43 and include Goolygangs who averages even less ? but I won't for fear of attracting a tirade from dsr about Justin Langer daring to not average over 50 for Oz.

Link to comment

They still are fantastic four of Indian cricket Donny. They have played some knocks that are as good as any. It sure is a treat to watch them all bat at one time. You can't expect 4 batters in a team averaging over 50 at one point in time. I wonder if that has been the case ever? Aussies once did have Steve Waugh, Ponting, Hayden and Gilly in the test team. I'm not sure if all the four averaged over 50 while they played together in the test team.

Link to comment

It's not the point I was making but I'm fairly sure Oz had 5 over 50 when Boof was in the team. Also another 4 when Huss came in for Waugh - 5 when Hodge was briefly in the team. Could be wrong. Not really important to me. The word 'fantastic' is used fairly loosely these days. Of the present Aussies, I'd only use the term to describe Gilly & Punter. SG, VVS - good at times. VVS fantastic in one innings. :wink_smile: RD - very good. SRT - fantastic. *fantastic: adjective: extraordinarily good; exceedingly or unbelievably great

Link to comment
It's not the point I was making but I'm fairly sure Oz had 5 over 50 when Boof was in the team. Also another 4 when Huss came in for Waugh - 5 when Hodge was briefly in the team. Could be wrong. Not really important to me. The word 'fantastic' is used fairly loosely these days. Of the present Aussies, I'd only use the term to describe Gilly & Punter. SG, VVS - good at times. VVS fantastic in one innings. :wink_smile: RD - very good. SRT - fantastic. *fantastic: adjective: extraordinarily good; exceedingly or unbelievably great
I wouldn't mind calling Rahul Dravid Fantastic. He has the numbers, credentials and is one of the rare batters that have done well overseas tours better than at home. Not many can stake claim to the match winning innings and the sheer number of runs he has scored. He has over 10000 runs in ODIs and won't be long before he has similar number of runs in test cricket. He may not be flamboyant but is definitely one of the best batsmen of this era.
Link to comment
How can anyone refer to VVS as 'fantastic' when he has a Test batting average of under 43
Laxman's over all average is misleading as it includes his mediocre days as an opener, a position he was never comfortable in. In the middle order, where he plays now and will be playing in the future he averages close to 50. BTW, how is Gilchrist fantastic by your criteria of an average of 50?
Link to comment
Simple. For the number of times he's come to the crease with Australia in trouble and scored fast centuries. Averages, or figures in general, have never concerned Gilchrist. He bats for the team and for the win.
Completely agree and when you let go of looking at only averages and look at how many top innings Laxman has played against the best side in the world ie. 90 odd in '98 at Calcutta, 167 at Sydney, 281 at Calcutta, twin 60s at Madras(specifically the one in the second innings), 70 odd at Brisbane(coming in with the team in trouble), 148 at Adelaide, 170 odd at Sydney, 69 at Bombay(on a minefield) and compare it with his contemporaries he would stand out as fantastic.
Link to comment

I noted he played one fantastic innings - obviously his 281. The others you mention are what he's in the team to do. They indicate he has been a good batsman. Quite a way short of fantastic. I must add he doesn't average close to 50 in his non opener innings. Try 45.

Link to comment
I noted he played one fantastic innings - obviously his 281.
If the 281 is your benchmark of a fantastic innings, you'll struggle to come up with 5 innings played in the history of cricket to be termed as fantastic. It was arguably the best innings played in the history of cricket and certainly in the top 5.
The others you mention are what he's in the team to do. They indicate he has been a good batsman. Quite a way short of fantastic.
Okay, let's hear how many of Gilchrist's innings would you consider fantastic and compare them to Laxman's. Or for that matter let's compare any of Laxman's contemporaries when it comes to performing against Australia.
I must add he doesn't average close to 50 in his non opener innings. Try 45.
You're right. He used to at some point, it's gone down to 46 now.
Link to comment

What a strange thing to say, yoda. Maybe you should take the time to read more of my posts. Dhondy, what's the 'sir' business ? I'll take it as a mark of respect and thank you for it. :wink_smile: RD is a wonderful player but is overly careful and bats at around 43% strike rate in Tests. This is an admirable trait when the pressure is on and he's been there for India in many tough situations but when you have 4 other batsmen around you who bat the same way (Sehwag was the exception), it becomes a liability because he bats at the same pace on a friendly wicket. This is why I rate him a very good batsman. Fantastic is not for Rahul.

Link to comment
Dravid in tests is as good as SRT. Both are "Fantastic" in every sense of the word. SRT scores over RSD (and big) because he is so good in both forms.
Incorrect. Sach has become pedestrian in Tests - like RD. His 2 recent centuries against the Banglas were close to embarrassing - for a once fantastic batsman.
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...